Means of defense for ships against the attacks of submarines



P. PERRONE. MEANS OF DEFENSE FOR SHIPS AGAINST THE ATTACKS 0F SUBMARIN APPLICATION FILED JULY 24. I916- Patented July 13, 1920.

P Pen one. nvemfoz' 3& 9. affozuclg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PIO PERBONE, OF EDIE, ITALY, ASSIGNOR TO SOCIETA ANONIMA ITALIANA GIO. ANSALDO & 0., OF ROME AND GENOA, ITALY.

ms 01 DEFENSE FOR SHIPS AGAINST THE ATTACKS OF SUBMARINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1920.

Application filed July 24, 1916. Serial No. 111,089.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, P10 PERRONE, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Rome, Italy, (whose post-oflice address is No. 366 Piazza Colonna,) have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means of Defense for Ships Against the Attacks of Submarines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention refers to the means of defense against the attacks of submarines, consisting'in a metal shield, formed by crossing several layers of steel in sheets and, in preference of steel containing vanadium.

It is well known that modern torpedoes are possessed of the following characteristics:

1st. That the explosion is of immense power and will increase, more and more, in proportion to the progress made in fire-arms and submarines.

2nd. That the power of the explosion decreases rapidly according to the law of the cubes of the distances from the center of the explosion.

3rd. That the submarine depth at which the torpedoes are fired against big vessels (it is these ships in which the inventor is interested) is considerably lower than the immersion of the latter, in order to bring to a maximum the probability of hitting them. It is also well-known that the effect of the explosion of a single torpedo against the flanks of a modern ship, however great she be, is to sink her, almost immediately.

Moreover modern ships having no exterior submarine point of defense, but only indirect interior protection are torn in the flanks by the explosion of the torpedo; and in conse-' quence enormous quantities of water dash into the interior of the vessel and cause it to incline which disastrous effect is favored by the interior lateral defenses which tend to arrest the progress of the water.

It is easy to think of an efficient protection intended to minimize the effect of the explosion of a torpedo on a ship; but that is not suflicient; for at the same time the protection must be such as not to diminish in any at measure the nautical and fighting qualities of the ship. v,

An ideal protection could be obtained by a kind of submarine basin with or without Recording to the opinion of the inventor the submarine defense ought to be a part of the ship, to be in harmony with its interior construction and to be such, as to diminish but little those nautical and fighting qualities which the ship might possess without this means of defense; it ought scarcely to increase the immersion of the vessel and not to diminish to a great extent, her capacities of speed and evolution.

It therefore follows, that the submarine protection being 'one with the ship, must have the following qualities:

1st. To be on the exterior of the shell plating of the vessel; the interior of the vessel to serve only as a strong support to the exterior protection.

2nd. To be of reat thickness so as to keep as much as possi le the center of the ex 10- sion of the torpedo far away from the, s ell plating.

3rd. To be massive and of such kind that its tearing will not produce practically any heeling of the ship.

4th. To be a continuous mass of great,

inertia, so as to be able, by its inertia, to absorb a great part of the ener of the explosion, before it can produce its effects upon the shell plating of the'hull.

5th. T o be relatively light, so as not to increase the immersion of the vessel.

6th. To have such a structural inertia as to be able to resist the effects of the explo sion and to be able to disperse them over a more extensive zone of the flanks of the 7 if "they were more powerful:- than the pr @entonesl; -1 r 1 exterior protection, and to prevent the same.

being forced in as a Whole and such as not .to prevent the: free passa e" ofbthe "Waterfrom one side to the othersidejof the'vessel;

in the case that the shell-plating, in spite of.

its exterior protection, should b'edarnaged.'

Which-=1 p 1 :steeliiplatesfcrossed. over each other, .or,

so 1. I ,3rdq13ystrongwooden;pl"ankingof thick.

timber G,-T placedeilongitudinally and" fixed: to the above men'tioried] vertical ffr'ame, :gthel Figure I; isa'cross'section of the vessel,-

and: 2

of-the' Evesseltand' is constructediithus:

by =-sev.er'alsuperposed layers-poi? ordinary better still' offspe cial high grade steel, as, forfenafiible, vanadium steel. r

. '2nd.- By. a'thick: layer B otpltch applied V to the-lexteriorofiithe shell plating andup-f 7 held by lighti; .verti"cal frames filvvhich fwill; serve: to strengthen the: said. armored Shelli platingia-nd also as; asupport for the-rest .ofi'.

the protection as shownv inlthe drawings;

Whole being thorouglfly'ealked. r V

5th? y e t ong P n g O 'iTrtical frames on the exteriorlof 'the. said-7100.

-steel'plaftes5a thick layer of pitch-held in Jpl'ace by. the said fr'ames,,-longitudinaltime" f vertical-'lyvooden timbersfapplied tof thel pref ceding longitudinal frame; "and; be ng also 7 V cal-keel: v

"calked pl the preceding The superposition- "ofj the- Woodenf'layers: could'be continued, but the'above-mentioned I layers are sufficientagai nst torpedoes;v even -at.. By

v pedo',L- so-l tl1at it ca'nnot extend under the Nothing would prevent however. the l'at er'al protection fr'omrbeing j continued even a ment' appears to bethe best, Fig. II is. arsection on the line M Njiof I I Having now-i 'particul'arly 'clare'that What. I claim is?" j '1st; By reinforced shell plating A formed 7 "longitudinal planking and Well balked; Ti

' Y 2- i A defense for: ships against the attacks. i of: submarines, "comprisingiin 'c'ombinatiorr'a j Zhull strueture,.. a plurality ot'icrossed'steel l 1 plates appliedtothe iexteri'or o'ffthel'hull,

a frame; of zinc plates o applied- I to the exterior of layer Eto provoke theex f below bilgeYkeel,

length, if itshould be convenient. Longitudinally the protectionfentend's, from the i 7 stern to the bow, narrowing ofi"to vvard"the extremityfof the bow Where there are prac-JZO @tic'ally'no vital parts, and modified at. the v stern'so as to protectthe helm and the screw, One and all of these qualities havebeen acquired'in the 'protecti'onwhich hasbeen studied and Which is the: object of the pres-J, fent invention 'and is illustrated by Way of l example; in. the; accompanying dra'wi-ngy'in ithout interrupting their action. r

'Itis not necessary that the reinforced'metallic plating, thelayer of pitch andthelayers' of timber should followin the above 'ds i-ibea the a inat'ure -ofmy saidinvention andskin what. The. protection is entirely: on the exterior lgAdefense for ships against the crossed steel plates,. a thick layeri-of-pitcht longitudinal timberplanking carried by the 1 said vertical frames and a .second'zvertical", j

timber planking applied lto the preceding ber planking} carriedbythe vertical frames, 7

vertical timber planking appliedtoathepre-a T cedingilongitudina-l; planking J and a second 1 5 layer of longitudinal timber planking ap= plied to the precedi verticalj:planking. andl we11{'calked='.-

- :3. A defense forf'sh1ps' again stof submarines comprisingin eombinatioma. 11

hull structure ja pluralityof crossed i-steel i plates applied {to itheexterior of -the 11111 1;-

v'ertic lal frames ionithe"exterior of the; said f v 7 7 p steel platesg' a :thiclr layerl'otpitch'held-in plos-io'in (at-the torpedo on the exteriorand-tof' lace byllth gi-d f a "lon itudi al: Ftim-Z' 115. protect the timber planking-from sea-'vveed I T he. said protectionis extended heightfrom abovethe-Water linelto-under'the turn ofthe bilge vhere' it terminatesin a big and strong bilge, orside 'keel'H, which forms a t support to the said p rotectionand'which" b1-eaksitheEWave of the-explosion" of the .t'o'rerplankingjcarried'by-the vertical frames;

vertical timber planking appliedto the pm; cedinglongitudinal planking andf a second. 1

' plied to theFPi'ecedingverticalplankingiandz" 1 2 ell calke'd sheathing I of'z'i'nc plates: 7 hich serves' toicallseftlie explosion of the small}. fore charge: of gthe' torpedo and to protect the vvooden: planking iromiseaweed;

24-. A -defense'for" ships-against the attacks "12 5, p of submarines 'co'mprisinga- 111111 structure a: plurality of relatively crossedvanadium I steel plates appliedtothe{exteriorsurface-j; j of the hull vertical frames. onthe.e2iterior' of theisteel plates, a lastic? 'layer appl ied -to C130 1- ofsubmarineS comprising in combination a 'f{ 'hu ll structure,' a-plura'lity of cros'sedi steel plates applied' to-jtheexterionof the hull? vertical. frames ontheexterior 'of the said held in place by the said carrying frames; f

the exterior of the steel plates and StlP- name to this specification in presence of two ported by the vertical frames, at plurallty subscribing Witnesses.

of layers of relatively crossed timber plank- P10 PERRONE ing and an exterior sheathing of zinc plates, 5 the whole forming a reinforcement and prolVitnesses:

teeting system to the said hull. G. B. ZANARDO,

In testimony whereof I have signed my DUILIO NARDONI. 

